Episode13
Pimpin' Ain't Easy We left off with the heroes boarding the Royal Yacht Lady Luck with Ulax enroute to the Quorum where Ekenwynn's next leader would be decided. The yacht was large and comfortable with state rooms for everyone, a nice pool, and a nifty force-field observation deck. Pete spent the entire time getting sloshed in the pool. Kiwi went unseen as he worked on various ways to break the new Artifier rules in his cabin. Oz futilely tried to research the Quorom with his computer (what was he thinking!) and then spent the rest of the trip in the pool admiring the hyperspace stars. Joe uncovered some useful information on how the Quorum worked and the identity of "Mr. Fox" who turned out to be Sir Albert Faux, the governor of the Quorum. This seemed to be evidence that the Hurbertus' had influenced the selection of the Governor which was pretty serious since the Governor picks the representatives of Ekenwynne. 2 blocks. On arrival we were met with a flotilla of ships of myriad sizes. The largest was the very impressive Hubertus capital ship, "Resolute" where the Quorum was to be held. The other ships were smaller but Uxia's Alliance capital ship was there along with a host of minor lords and ladies gathering for the social event of the year. Events kicked off with a banquet of the upper crust. Everyone who's anyone in Ekenwynne was there. Oz joined the other Ascendent lords and Governor Fox at the high table while his entourage dined in style at the slightly lower 'entourage table'. Sitting at the lower table allowed for some interesting conversation with other lords and ladies; some were real a-holes and professed a hatred for Animus while others, like the Duchess (can't remember her name), seemed to be sympathetic to our cause and even hinted at information about the universe-tearing-crossover events that had happened to Joe. Joe wisely collected her contact information for a future meeting. Meanwhile, at the high table there was guarded conversation about upcoming events. Oz managed to pick up some hints about something 'big' happening tomorrow and the Mr. Fox hinting at a 'bang'. It was clear Gus was involved somehow when Aglea told him he 'better not fuck it up' but we still were no closer to knowing what was planned. After the banquet Gus reiterated their interest in Oz and Uxia's daughters which was a hint of things to come. We made a couple of clandestine calls to Uxia via Tacyhon and learned a bit about how things work. Basically, the law meant nothing and it all came down to how the Ascendent lords voted. They were not going to go along with seeing Uxia take power without extracting something for themselves. The question remained about what they wanted. It was clear at this point that Aglea Hubertus had positioned things deftly where she 'owned' the outcome of the Quorum. With Mr. Fox in her backpocket (very convenient that he happened to be nearby since he's a Kovinata), the Quorom taking place on her ship, and a sympathetic group of lords she had everything she needed to either crown Uxia or throw Ekenwynne into further chaos. What was she up to? After sleeping enough to forestall further deprivation but not relieve it (2 blocks), we awoke to the big day of the Quorum. It all took place on the Resolute under 'citadel-level' security with Mystic/Implant dampening collars for all. Mr. Fox opened the day's entertainment with a nice speech and then an attempt to blow up Uxia's chair with hidden demolitions. Luckily (if luck is due to carefully orchestrating both the attempt and the foiling which Aglea would never admit to), Gus was quick-witted enough to critical KO him before he go could through with it. Since he was obviously homicidal a new governor needed to be selected and good old Lord Reg (friend of Uxia and leader of the rebellion against the Baron) was chosen. This was huge for us since he immediately selected sympathetic lords to vote in Ulax's stead for Ekenwynne. All that remained was for the final vote; one from each house of Ekenwynne, Hubertus, and Kovinus. This was when the bargaining really began. After an initial period of arrogant posturing by the Kovinus lords it became clear that they were both worried about the Reavers and interested in securing a marriage to one of Oz and Uxia's daughters. Negotiations with Hubertus also indicated they wanted the same thing. All of our hard work to oust the Baron and set up this event ultimately came down to whether Oz and Uxia were willing to 'trade' their daughters for the Ekenwynne throne and the best chance the galaxy had against the Reavers. Uxia was flat out against it and would not be moved. Thankfully, Oz knows a thing or two about persuasion and made what has to be one of the most epic Beguile checks in the history of Mystech. After rolling 'on d4' all night he broke out and made an incredible '61 to Beguile'. It's not clear if this or her pragmatic view of the future of the galaxy were the reason she ultimately relented but she did. There was a bit of wrangling over the details and eventually a 'ward' situation was agreed with an option to bail 2 years after reaching betrothal age (14) if things are not working out. With the deal in place, the vote was held and Uxia was chosen as the new leader of Ekenwynne by unanimous decision. The cost of this decision will be felt for years to come. Especially for the the two little 6-year old twin girls that will be moving to worlds far away to live with strangers who will ultimately become family. It's also not clear when Oz will be let out of the doghouse; luckily the ascendency has comfortable couches. Uxia's first act as ruler of Ekenwynne was to crown Oz as the new Baron Sershaw, the position formerly held by Baron Lino. Oz's title is now officially, Baron Ozbourne Wheeler of Xerxaw. With that, he was formally accepted as a lord and qualified to be Uxia's husband in the eyes of the other Ascendent houses. Naturally, Oz couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a speech and with the help of Kiwi and Joe made a rousing speech designed to foster good will and shine a light on the wisdom of the Ascendency in making Uxia the ruler, (wisely, Pete was not invited to assist). Even Aglea had to begrudingly admit it was a good speech. After the Quroum we returned to Ekenwynne and had 'up to 2 weeks' to do what we wanted. We don't need to take the full two weeks, though, and we have some pressing priorities. At minimum we need to spend three days on Ekenwynne after the Quorum but we could take off earlier if we chose to. For the record, Oz has a crapload of stuff to take care of so he'd like to spend a week taking care of business before we move on. After a bit of post-Quortoil planning we decided that Boron-c was probably the next priority since the Reavers had just conquored a nearby planet and it might be next. If you remember, Boron-C was valuable since it was where the the dragon, TRAXISZORAXTERRASSUS, told us we could find the Reaver Filter needed to communicate with the friendly shadow reavers. We need to score that before the reavers get it! On a side note, Boron-C is close to where the rumoured feral Treewee are located but Kiwi never made it there due to serious relationship issues so there may be an opportunity to wrap up that side mission at the same time. Potential to raise a squirrel army is high on this one! tldr; Oz's title is now officially Baron Ozbourne Wheeler of ''Xerxaw''. 44 Genaric '''(given out during play, no double dipping) '''11 Mystic for Karlid . 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